CVAC moves boys, girls golf to fall

PLATTSBURGH | The Champlain Valley Athletic Conference will shift boys and girls golf to the fall beginning with the 2026-27 school year after inclement weather routinely delayed the start of the spring season and compressed the schedule. The Mountain and Valley Athletic Conference golf season will remain in the spring, along with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships. "I think the number one concern that the ADs had, and we've had for a while, is that we're running golf in the spring during a season which we run the whole season in about a three-week window," CVAC Executive Secretary Greg Myers said. "It's very hard to give kids a quality regular-season experience in a three-week window. In the fall, we're allowed to start practice before school starts, courses are open. Everybody's been golfing all summer, and we can play right into October." The move could affect participation in other fall sports, particularly at schools that do not allow athletes to compete in multiple sports during the same season. Myers said administrators heard similar concerns before moving volleyball from the winter to the fall beginning with the 2010-11 school year. "You'll have a few growing pains, but the kids that really want to play, they got to make choices," Myers said. "I know it could hurt some schools to start with, but I think we're really looking at giving kids a better experience. Some schools are allowing kids to do dual participation, and they're going to try to work around it." Golf will become the third CVAC sport to compete during a different season than its state championships. CVAC gymnastics is contested in the fall with state championships in the winter, while CVAC girls tennis is played in the spring with state championships in the fall. "The section has come up with a procedure to qualify for the golf state championships in the spring," Myers said. "Our concern is the number of quality kids. We're not competing at the state level right now, and it's hard to compete when kids are golfing for only three weeks." Under the new format, the Section VII boys golf championships will be replaced by separate league championship events, with the CVAC competing in the fall and the MVAC in the spring. The first day of each championship will determine team titles, while the second day will serve as individual state qualifiers. The top-seven finishers in the fall qualifier will earn berths to the state championships. Golfers finishing eighth through 14th will automatically qualify for the following spring qualifier. If any of those golfers decline to compete, Section VII will not add additional golfers from lower-finishing positions. To help with the transition, eligible MVAC golfers who finished among the top 14 at the most recent spring Section VII qualifier will automatically qualify for the 2026 fall individual qualifier. The top-two finishers in the spring qualifier will also qualify for the state championships, along with any additional positions that become available if previously qualified fall golfers are unable to attend states. Beginning after the 2027 spring qualifier, eligible MVAC underclassmen finishing third through eighth will automatically qualify for the following fall qualifier. Those positions also will not be backfilled. For girls golf, Section VII will use a split-season qualification system tied to the CVAC fall season and MVAC spring season while maintaining a maximum state team of nine golfers. CVAC golfers may qualify during the fall qualifying round, while MVAC golfers may qualify in the spring. During the 2026-27 school year, girls must shoot 105 or lower to become eligible for state qualification. The qualifying score drops to 103 beginning in 2027-28. If nine or fewer golfers meet the standard, all will qualify for the state championships. If more than nine golfers meet the standard, the nine lowest scores from the Section VII qualifying rounds will earn state berths. The 2026 CVAC golf season opens with four matches scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. "This is a lifetime sports activity," Myers said. "A lot of kids are golfing. I know of a couple schools that only had a few kids, and now they've got great numbers coming out. I think the focus has got to be giving kids a quality season, and we'll work through the state (championships) situation."

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CVAC moves boys, girls golf to fall

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